Colorado man stabs baby, toddler to death before killing self

FALCON, COLORADO (BNO NEWS) — Authorities in the U.S. state of Colorado have launched an investigation after a man allegedly stabbed a baby and a toddler to death at a horse ranch near Colorado Springs, officials said on Thursday. The suspect is believed to have killed himself.

Deputies responded at approximately 11:12 p.m. local time on Wednesday when a 911 caller reported a stabbing at a mobile home at a horse ranch near the town of Falcon in El Paso County, about 10 miles (16 kilometers) northeast of Colorado Springs. It was not immediately known who made the call.

“When deputies arrived on scene they discovered a one-year-old child was deceased and a three-year-old child had serious injuries,” said Sergeant Joe Roybal, a spokesman for the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office. “The three-year-old was transported from the scene to a local hospital where the child later died from his injuries.”

Roybal said deputies also discovered an adult male, identified as 22-year-old suspect Ethan Courrau, who died on early Thursday morning after being rushed to a local hospital. His connection to the children was not immediately known, but investigators said Courrau was not their father.

The victims were identified as 1-year-old Scarlett Kane and 3-year-old Ryan Willhite.

“Investigators from the Sheriff’s Office are still in the early stages of this investigation and are working diligently to learn what led up to this tragic event,” Roybal said. He did not say whether anyone else was inside the residence when the young children were stabbed to death.